Asparagusses? Or should that be Asparagusi? Anyway......
I've been using my treadmill pretty regularly, trying to use it at least 6 times out of the week... 3 runs and 3 nights of walking at least 5kms.. you know.. just to get the feel of walking the distance.. and I can walk it without any issues at all, which is a nice comforting back up plan in my mind LOL Not like my mental image of signing up for the 10kms and doing part of it by taxi and still crawling across the finish line like the guy in Run Fat Boy Run. (Great movie... see it if you get a chance)
Aside from doing a treadmill swap (treadmill went back to the store because it was defective and I was able to get a cheaper but stronger/better model used from some friends) I hope to continue with my regime of 3 nights of running and 3 nights of walking, but I gotta tell ya... those Running Room people will be the death of me! LOL
First and foremost, I gotta say the instructors Julie and Patricia are very encouraging, understanding and helpful in my quest to run the 5km, and I'm not just saying that because they might be reading this :P They asked me repeatedly how I was doing, they encouraged me with "only one more minute" and best of all they didn't say stuff like "are you barking mad trying to run???" Always a good sign in my book.
The reason I say that the rest of the group was like fast running Asparagusses, is because most of the people in the class don't look like they are there to loose weight, they look like they want to run to get in shape... which you gotta really give credit to the thinner people that want to work out, because seriously, how many thin people do you know that eat whatever they want and don't bother to work out? I know a few and basically they don't know any different, that's just normal to them, but there is the rare one that is stupid enough to say "I don't understand why fat people can't loose weight.. just stop eating.. there ya go, problem solved" grrrrrr So I digress big time... The running group seem to be quite friendly and that was cool. We all sat together for about 45 to 50 mins before the run and Julie and Patricia spoke to us about running and helped calm our first timer nerves.
From the booklet that we received, I thought we were going to start with 3 mins of running and 1 minute of walking, but Patricia announced it was going to be 5 and 1, which I have done before. It is a challenge, but it's not like 8 and 1 would be, which is where I consider myself to be @ currently. Well they kicked my arse big time LOL I ran most of i even tho I moved myself to the back of the pack, and Julie stayed with Alex and I for the majority of the run. Alex kept up a steady chorus of "you're kicking ass!" and "you're doing great!" while Julie was giving out advice about not tensing up the shoulders and neck...gotta love that! It's because of them that I managed to do as much as I did. I think it felt much more difficult for me than running on my own for several obvious reasons.... when I run alone, I am probably a lot more gentle on myself when it comes to the pace of my run. when I run alone, I don't have to keep up with a group.... when I run on the treadmill, it's more forgiving than on the paved roads, when I run alone, it's indoors on my treadmill where it's not fricken freezing like it was that night. and when I run alone it's not in the dark with cars coming straight for you like there is a bulls-eye on your ass and a point value above your head LOL "Car up!"
Alex suggested that maybe I could talk to the instructors and switch classes and maybe go to the Learn to run class, but I'm not sure if I should... I have mixed emotions on that. Logically, I'll probably not be able to keep up with the group as a whole in the long run, they will probably progress a lot quicker than me, but on the frosted side, the Learn to run might be too easy and not push me enough... Argh, I don't know what to do.. speak to me oh magic running gods!
It comes back to the same old thing, I think -- if you stay with the current group, they'll always be faster, so you'll be motivated to go faster... which could pay off and push you to a greater improvement, or could frustrate you further.
ReplyDeleteSwitching to the LTR group means there will *potentially* be other 'spuds' there for you to meet, and encourage. :) But, the downside being that you'll probably not push yourself as hard.
It's a tough decision, but I'm sure you'll make the right one :) I'm with you regardless.
I'm really proud of your Thursday run. Think of it like the first time we did the run-1-walk-1: You could barely finish that one, and we went very slowly. Now, you're doing 8 minute run stints!
Maybe our tactic was wrong? Maybe we didn't mentally prepare enough. So, we can do this afternoon's run on our own, outside, without the RR so that we can go at the pace we need to, and get readjusted to running outside. I'm sure that threw off your normal pace too -- it's easier running in the warm indoor air on a flat treadmill than it is running in the dark, on unfamiliar pavement.
We can do our Sunday and Tuesday runs on our own, then reassess for the class on Thursday.
As for 'magic running gods', I think you need to start refocusing your self-esteem -- think of how many 'spuds' you're inspiring right now. I show up because I know you will, and the support and questions you get on Facebook prove that others are inspired too. Maybe you're the new "Magic Running Goddess"?
Remember this: a spud and an asparagus are both veggies at the core. Everybody needs to train to get to this race, and everyone is shooting for a personal best. It's you versus you, and so far you're kickin' ass!